Team

Ian Nicholson

President

Ian is a senior at Hunter College High School. He is a US Chess Expert who has placed in the top-ten nationally on several occasions and finished 4th place in the 2023 New York State Scholastic High School Championship, leading his school to a state championship. He is passionate about deploying chess to build community and promote access to education. Beyond the board, Ian captains his school's soccer team and is involved in scientific research.

Jed Sloan

Vice President

Jed is a senior at Stuyvesant High School and is a USCF National Master, FIDE Candidate Master, and 2 times scholastic Grade National Champion. He is also the co-captain of the Stuyvesant Chess Team and an experienced chess tutor and ski racing coach. Outside of chess, Jed is a starter for the Stuyvesant Varsity Tennis Team and a member of the Stuyvesant Math Team and Math Modeling Club. 

Harper Wallace

Vice President

Harper is a junior at CGPS and has played competitive chess since second grade. He has been ranked among the top 100 players in the country for my age multiple times, with a peak rating of 1980. Some of his achievements include being part of the high school national championship team this year and winning the U1900 section at High School Nationals as an individual. He also plays for a club soccer team and runs varsity cross country and track. 

Eugene Choi Yoo

Founder

Eugene is the founder of NYC Chess Connections. He is a FIDE Master and currently studies at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He is also a recipient of the Scholar-Chessplayer Award and the Chessable Research Award. In his free time, he enjoys running and playing the violin.

Bhavya Thakur

Director of Outreach

Bhavya is a sophomore at Trinity School and has played chess for over 11 years, reaching a peak rating of 1818. She has achieved numerous top-ten national and regional finishes in tournaments, consistently ranking in the USCF top player lists for girls her age. Aside from chess, she is an avid roboticist, coder, and debater.

Max Chang

Director of Tutoring Program

Max is a rising sophomore at Hunter College High School. He has been playing chess since the age of seven, reaching a peak ELO of 2026 and helping to lead his grade team to a national title on four separate occasions. Besides chess, Max also enjoys playing tennis and watching soccer. 

Michael Li

Director of Social Media

Michael is a sophomore at Jericho High School on Long Island. A National Master at thirteen, he has since gone on to win the NY State Scholastics undefeated, represent the United States in Brazil, reaching a top-six national ranking. Michael has collaborated with CHESSanity to establish 'CHECKMATE HATE,' a fundraiser that partners with the Holocaust Memorial and Tolerance Center of Glen Cove to support  anti-hate initiatives. He is also a cellist studying at Juilliard and avid Lincoln-Douglas debater.

Alexi de la Nuez

Director of Events

Alexi is a senior at Brooklyn Technical High School who has played chess for over a decade. His is the Vice-President of BTHS’s Chess Team,  where he has captained three team victories at the NYS Scholastic High School Championships, and individually winning the 2023 U1200 state chess championship. Outside of chess, he enjoys soccer with his school team and serves as captain of his club team. Alexi is excited to continue passing on his passion for the game to the next generation of chess lovers. 

Hunter Quirk

Hunter Choi Quirk is a sophomore at Hunter College High School. He has been playing chess competitively for over 7 years. His other interests include reading (both comic books and novels) and volunteering for organizations. 

Maddy Eng

Maddy is a junior at Trinity School. She began learning chess in elementary school and continues to enjoy bullet chess. In addition, maddy enjoys creating digital art, debating, and running track and field.

Noah Schwartz

Noah has been playing chess seen he was 7 years old. A lifelong chess player, Noah has worked in schools teaching chess an facilitating chess tournaments for years. He loves getting new players into the game and playing games with friends.

Michael Korvyakov

Michael is a junior at Georgetown University studying business and politics. He's founded two startups, Campaign Crafters and The Petition Co. In his free time, he runs marathons and learns computers.

Maxwell Messiah

Maxwell is a freshman at Harvard University. He recently graduated from the Dalton School and is currently trying to reach a rating of 2000 USCF. He also likes to play basketball, lacrosse, and percussion. 

Jenny Zhu

Jenny is a freshman at Harvard University. She is ranked number 4 nationally for female chess players aged 16 with a peak rating of 2106. She has extensive experience in teaching young kids and loves sharing her knowledge.

Toshinori Underwood

Toshi is a USCF National Master who recently graduated from Brooklyn Technical High School. He likes to travel and play basketball and chess. He will be attending Colby College in the fall.

Krish Bhandari

Krish is a freshman at the Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management at Cornell University. He won 3rd place at the 2023 Pan-American U16 section and is currently a FIDE Candidate Master. He graduated from Stuyvesant High School.

Timothy Ng

Tim is a freshman at University of California, Berkeley.  His peak rating is 2048 and he's currently ranked top 100 in the country for his age.  In his free time, he enjoys fencing and surfing.

Kyle Lancman

Kyle is a freshman at the University of Chicago. Since 2022, he has been a US Chess National Master and playing tournaments all around the world. He graduated from Stuyvesant High School.

Kiren Nasta

Kiren Nasta is a chess national master who is currently taking a gap year before attending Harvard University. He recently graduated Hunter College High School. He has been playing chess for 13 years, and had numerous top 5 placements in scholastic championships such as a top 3 in grade nationals and scholastic states during his senior year. 

Maddie Lykouretzos

Maddie is a junior at Yale University. She's currently studying neuroscience and helped design the logo for NYC Chess Connections!

Winston Qin

Winston Qin is a rising sophomore at Columbia University studying Electrical Engineering. He runs a professional photography and filmmaking business at WinstonPX.com. In his free time he plays soccer, goes on trail runs, and is a volunteer bird rescuer.